Scattered Comrades 1

At the far distance to the east where the hidden city laid.

It was midnight and stars were twinkling brightly in the sky, illuminating the buildings beneath. They were the ancient city that had disappeared long ago from the map. No one knew that they were still alive and kicking until this day.

They just chose to hide themselves and bid for the right time.

The right time for their king to emerge once again.

The advisor, as the person that had the most influence in the city was gazing at the sky in an unreadable expression. He stood at the tallest building, the empty, cold and majestic palace especially reserved for their king with his back straight and head raised toward the sky.

He was a strange man that said to have lived for centuries, yet his appearance was akin to that of a young teenager. He looked no more than twenty five.

He was wearing a simple blue robes. His hands clasped behind his back as he frowned. The wind fluttered his hair that was let loose wildly. No one had ever seen how his face looked like because he had always been covering his pair of eyes with a white cloth.

They didn't know nor dared to ask the reason why.

Noticing the abnormality of the man, the elder of the hidden city, Yang Shi asked. "What's wrong, Advisor Feng? You have observed the star sign much longer than usual."

The man, Feng Gening, pursed his thin lips. His expression was unreadable as no one could see what was hidden behind the white cloth covering his eyes. Yang Shi looked at him confusedly, he didn't realize that the hands clasped behind Feng Gening's back was clenched and slightly trembled.

"The star moved." He muttered under his breath. It was soft and even, his tone was chilling and monotone as usual, but as the person used to interacting with him daily, Yang Shi could caught the faint excitement and joy in his voice as he said once again. "It was the supreme star!"

Regardless if it was only for a split second, he would never mistake it!

There was disbelief, sorrow, joy and relief in his heart as he stared unblinkingly at the still night.

"What? Really?" Yang Shi cried out in shock. His pupils constricted and his body shook in thrill and elation. "Our king…our king has returned?!"

"Hmm!" Feng Gening nodded. The white cloth covering his eyes were slowly dampened by a red liquid that trickling down his cheeks. It was tears.

His tears of blood.

He remembered the first time that he had cried in front of their king, he had made that person so flustered and panic.

When that person had turned his back on him, he had cried until his body was soaked in blood.

It used to work on him, but that time was the first that it didn't. No matter how much he begged him to take him away too, that person was really determined to leave all of them behind. He said he would wait, but that person had told him that he wouldn't come back anymore and lived their life in peace without him.

He was stubborn though. How could he obey that person's command? He had decided that person was the only one that he would ever acknowledge in his life. He would wait for him even if it took his entire existence to do so.

It was such a long wait. Feng Gening had thought that he would never return. But now…

"You are back." He whispered in a voice full of longing and grief. "You finally come back…"

***

In the midst of nowhere stood a large tower which had been abandoned long ago.

It was in the land where no human lived because the soil was destroyed by the Great War and ever since then, the air and even the water was filled with poisonous mist and the trees surrounding the tower was barren and torrid.

It was the paradise for ravens, which ate on corpses to survive.

For more than a thousand years, no one had ever stepped onto this land ever again.

Hence, no one had knew that in that tower, someone was imprisoned. His hands was nailed on the wall with his body chained to the ground. His hair that reached his thigh was filthy and messy, it covered his face wholly. His pointed ears unlike those of the human could be seen on top of his head.

He laid there motionless, moldy, with other small insects crawling through his body freely.

If not for his undulating chest, he could even be considered a corpse considering how he had been there for more than a thousand years.

He was in the large prison cell in the highest level of the tower. It used to be the place where they held the criminal of the Great War. It was empty now though, only he'd remained.

His hands were limp with long and sharp nails dangling, the same was grown on his legs which had been cut by humans. It was the nails that used to protect the person closest to his heart.

And yet, he had failed to hold him back. In the end, that person decided to leave and said that he wouldn't come back anymore.

He had the blood which is desired by all, it was miraculous and could be seen as either blessing or curse. His blood could cure all the sickness in the world, but then those that had tasted him once would go insane with deep thirst and craving.

While everyone hunted him down for his blood, that person had offered his hand and promised him shelter and protection. He gave him home and hope. Since then, he had vowed to live and exist only for that person.